The De Souza family, otherwise known as the De Sousa family, is a prominent

Beninese Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...

clan. Its founder, Francisco Felix de Sousa, was the Brazilian-born

viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning "k ...

Ouidah Ouidah () or Whydah (; ''Ouidah'', ''Juida'', and ''Juda'' by the French; ''Ajudá'' by the Portuguese; and ''Fida'' by the Dutch) and known locally as Glexwe, formerly the chief port of the Kingdom of Whydah, is a city on the coast of the Repub ...

in the

Kingdom of Dahomey The Kingdom of Dahomey () was a West African kingdom located within present-day Benin that existed from approximately 1600 until 1904. Dahomey developed on the Abomey Plateau amongst the Fon people in the early 17th century and became a region ...

History

After immigrating from Bahia in Brazil to coastal Dahomey in the 18th century, Francisco Felix de Sousa began to function as a trader of various goods - chief of which were

slave Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

s. His activities there made him so influential in Dahomey's affairs that he was recognized by the Dahomeyans as a

tribal chief A tribal chief or chieftain is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribe The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of western Afroeurasia. Tribal societies are sometimes categorized as ...

, the ''chacha'' of Ouidah, following his support of their ruler King

Ghezo Ghezo, also spelled Gezo, was King of Dahomey (present-day Republic of Benin) from 1818 until 1859. Ghezo replaced his brother Adandozan (who ruled from 1797 to 1818) as king through a coup with the assistance of the Brazilian slave trader F ...

in his rise to power. Upon de Sousa's death, the family that he had started with his

harem Harem (Persian: حرمسرا ''haramsarā'', ar, حَرِيمٌ ''ḥarīm'', "a sacred inviolable place; harem; female members of the family") refers to domestic spaces that are reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A hare ...

of African consorts continued to be prominent throughout West Africa. The chacha title is still borne by the family's titular leader today. According to the De Souza family, Francisco Felix de Sousa was the eighth generation descendant of

Tomé de Sousa Tomé de Sousa (1503–1579) was the first governor-general of the Portuguese colony of Brazil from 1549 until 1553. He was a nobleman and soldier born in Rates, Póvoa de Varzim. Sousa was born a noble and participated in military expeditions in ...

(1503–1579), a Portuguese

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteristi ...

who was the first governor-general of the Portuguese colony of Brazil from 1549 to 1553. If true, it would make the contemporary De Souzas members of the

Portuguese nobility Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

in addition to being an African

chieftaincy A tribal chief or chieftain is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribe The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of western Afroeurasia. Tribal societies are sometimes categorized as ...

family. Although the De Souzas are part of the Beninese elite, their position in society is not without controversy. The fact that their founder was reputed by some to be the world's most prolific slavetrader has ensured that there is a great deal of resentment directed towards the family by some of their fellow Beninese. In reference to the family's origins and the anger its history sometimes inspires, current chacha Moise de Souza is quoted as saying:

Notable members

Chantal Yayi Chantal de Souza Yayi (born ?) is a Beninese politician and former First Lady of Benin from 2006 until 2016. She is the wife of former President of Benin, Beninese President Thomas Boni Yayi. Biography Chantal de Souza Yayi, a native of Ouidah, ...

* Francisco Felix de Sousa *

Isidore de Souza Isidore de Souza (4 April 1934 – 13 March 1999) was a Beninese priest who was Archbishop of Cotonou from 1990 to 1999. He was born into the aristocratic De Souza family of Ouidah on 4 April 1934. He was the uncle of Chantal Yayi, who serve ...

* Marcel Alain de Souza *

Martine de Souza Martine Hennequin (née de Souza, born 26 July 1973) is a Mauritian badminton player. She competed in women's singles and women's doubles at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, and in three events at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. She ...

* Moise de Souza *

Paul Emile de Souza Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity * Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

References

{{Reflist Political families African royalty African dynasties